Harry's Propaganda
by Fairywm
Summary: What if Harry read the Daily Prophet all the way through after his fourth year and didn't like what he read and fought back by taking a page out of Muggle history books on propaganda? Independent Harry, who leaves the Wizarding World to fend for itself.
**Harry's Propaganda**

 **Thanks to my lovely betas, LadyLini and SilverDawn249 (who did the first draft), for all their help in making these easier to read for you, my readers. Thanks to darrelldeam and alix33 for looking over the second draft. All mistakes are still my own.**

 _This is yet another rewrite of one of my one-shots from 'Little of this, more of that'. I hope you enjoy the additions. A bit unrealistic that all it would take was one flier, but hey, it's a one-shot._

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter that pleasure belongs to J.K. Rowling, and all the people who she gave permission to have it make her rich. I just play in her sandbox.**

 **Hphphp**

It was a month into the summer after his fourth year and Harry Potter sat alone in his bedroom in Number 4 Privet Drive, the most recent copy of the Daily Prophet open on his lap. As he read he frowned, a gnawing sense of anger slowly growing inside him. Through small, snide comments, the Ministry was denying Voldemort had ever returned. Instead of getting ready for war they were calling him a lying, attention-seeking brat and Dumbledore a senile old coot. This slander was just plain stupid, to Harry's way of thinking.

 _What were they going to do when Voldemort attacked? Call on me to save them? Well they could just bugger off,_ he thoughtas he crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside.

This couldn't smear campaign cannot go unpunished. There was no way he could let them get away with this shite. According to Dumbledore, and many others, he was a major part of the war, since Tom Riddle was after him. The Headmaster never told him why, just that he had to be kept safe and protected. Well, that didn't seem to be happening, at least not against slander. So Harry was going to do whatever it took to make these idiots know that he wasn't going to be their doormat. The shite he had put up with in school was bad enough, these were adults though, they should know better. To take everything out on a teenager and hide their heads in the sand, well, screw them.

He knew that he'd have no voice in the newspapers; they were controlled by the Ministry. So he would need a plan of attack. A fleeting memory of a primary school history class dredged itself from the back of his mind, something to do with the use of fliers for propaganda during the Muggles' Second World War.

He tore through his bookshelf and found an old history book; a wicked grin came across his face. _This would work,_ he thought. _I just need some help_.

Thinking quickly, he called on Dobby and without a moment's hesitation the elf appeared, a broad grin stretching across his face. "What can Dobby be doing for the Great Harry Potter?" the little elf asked, bouncing on his spindly sock covered feet. He was dressed in children's clothes with khaki pants and a t-shirt.

"Hey, Dobby, how are you?" the dark-haired teen asked, putting a hand on the elf's shoulder to make him stop bouncing.

"Dobby is doing very good, sir," Dobby answered with huge smile.

"That's great, Dobby" Harry said quietly, conscious of his aunt and uncle downstairs. "I was wondering if I could hire you and maybe a few other free house elves for the summer, maybe longer if things work out?" he asked, hoping his little friend didn't start wailing with pleasure.

"Dobby would love to work for the Great Harry Potter! What can Dobby be doing for you?" The elf said quietly in his squeaky voice, to Harry's shock. He was excited that his greatest hero called for him. He learned his last time here to make sure that his idol didn't get in trouble for too much noise.

"Well," Harry mused, wondering where to begin. "We need to talk about how much I'll be paying you. And I wanted to know if Winky might do some work for me as well. My idea will definitely need more than one or two elves. So if you know any more free elves that need work, could you call them? And I'll see about hiring them also." Harry asked the overjoyed little elf, keeping his hand firmly on that very bony shoulder.

"Dobby can be doing that, Harry Potter. Dobby will be doing that right now," Dobby said and with that he popped away, making the boy's hand fall.

Harry lay down on his bed and waited patiently, running his mind over what he was going to do. He would need to get money, perhaps Dobby could do that. Then he'd need to get to a printer, so he would need Muggle money. Then he needed to figure out what to say. He was going to ask the elves to spy for him so he could get the dirt on the Ministry. If they were going to attack him, he was going to fight back.

Suddenly, there was a loud pop and twenty or so house-elves appeared in his room. Harry quickly glanced at the door, hoping the noise didn't bring his uncle. He sighed in relief at the silence from the stairs. He then looked over the elves and his brow scrunched up in a frown. They varied in health, some almost fainting with exhaustion while others were dressed in bright clothes and practically vibrating with excitement, just like Dobby. Winky was there and she didn't look good. She was swaying from side to side and seemed to be having a hard time focusing.

"Why do some of you look close to death?" the teen asked as he looked at the motley crew of elves, slightly shocked that there were so many of them.

One of the really poor elves replied, "We is not finding a wizard or witch that will take us. If we are not around magic, our magic fades. We is not needing to be bound but we must be around magic to survive." The elf held up his thin, pale arms in a what-can-you-do motion.

"Does it have to be a magical household, or do you just need to be around a wizard?" the very concerned boy asked, worried that some of these elves would drop dead in front of him. If he could help he would.

"We is only needing to be around a magical person," Dobby replied, happy that his friend was asking the right question. The Great Harry Potter would help these elves, he was sure of it. There wasn't a wizard around as kind as Harry Potter.

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said with a smile, glad he could help. He turned to the group of hopeful elves and said, "Well, I can help you there. I need you to do things for me this summer, so I want to pay all of you two galleons a weeks for the next two months. If what I'm about to do works, I'm going to try and find you families that will take on free elves and pay you to work for them. Is this agreeable?" the teen asked.

All the elves nodded as they figured that this was better than fading away. Dobby tried to protest that that was too much money, but Harry was firm on his stance.

"Great. Now here is what I need you to do," the teen said, rubbing his hands together. "First off, Dobby, I need money, Muggle money. Can you get to Gringotts and get me some? I can give you my key."

"Dobby can be doing that," the overly excited elf said.

"Great," the green-eyed boy stated as he moved to his trunk and got out his key. "I think you should get at least £400. I'm not sure how much my plan will cost, so go ahead and get that much," he said, handing over the key. "Wait, I'll need some galleons as well, so I can pay you guys, so get about 100 of them," he stated quickly.

"Dobby can do," the elf stated, putting the key in the pocket of his pants and popping way.

"Now for the rest of you," Harry smiled as he turned to all the other elves. "First, how long will it take for you to get better?" he asked the oldest looking one.

"I is Dinky, and we are already improving, Harry Potter, sir," the now named Dinky replied as his face filled out a bit and didn't look like he was on the verge of death. No, now he only looked like he had been sick for a week.

Harry glanced at the rest of the elves and he could see they were indeed getting better. They didn't look near as pale and most of them were standing taller. The healthy ones seem to vibrate with the same energy that Dobby always had.

"Great, okay, here is what I need. I need you to spy on the Wizarding World and find out anything I can use against them. Some of you listen to the gossip. Others go to the Ministry and find out how Muggleborn are really treated. I don't think they are telling the truth to the students. Then when you get your information, come back here and I'll tell you the rest of my plan," Harry gently laid it out to the now eager elves.

"We can be doing that, Harry Potter, sir," almost all of them squeaked, just happy to be working again. Then they huddled together to see who would go where and soon enough Harry's room was empty.

"This is going to be wicked," the teen stated, rubbing his hands together. He couldn't wait to see the looks on the Ministry's faces when his plan came together. The shock of it all would make them regret what they were saying now. He didn't give a damn, he was done.

Two weeks later, all over the Wizarding Britain, thousands of pieces of paper were flying around. No one knew where they came from—they had just dropped from the sky.

The paper read:

 **Harry Potter Speaks Out:**

 **People of the Wizarding Britain, first of all, shame on you, you are vilifying a young man for telling the truth. You will regret that, I promise. The Dark Lord Voldemort is back and you are hiding behind the lies of the Minister. Cowards. If you really think that I am a useless attention-seeking liar, then screw you.**

 **Muggleborns, if you wish to unpick the lies of our world then listen very closely to what I have to say. I've spent the last couple of weeks researching as my spies listen in on many Ministry conversations as well as brief chatter around Diagon Alley. This is what I've learnt:**

 **Muggleborn Wizards** **, you are being lied to. There is no future for you in the Wizarding World. A** **ll** **high paying positions are held by pure-bloods and well-off half-bloods. Anyone raised in the Muggle World will get low paying jobs or completely shunned, and there is nothing we can do about it.**

 **Don't believe me? Look around you, how many Muggleborn people are tending shops compared to how many pure-bloods own them? How many of the Wizengamot are Muggleborn? I'll tell you, none. The seats are passed down through pure-blood families. The only other seats are those that have the Order of Merlin. Guess how many of them are Muggleborn.**

 **I say forget them and leave this world to the pure-blood bigots. Eventually, there will be no one to marry and they'll die out. Then we can come and claim the world back, if we want, or we can stay in the Muggle World and make our own way and leave them to their fate.**

 **Also there really is no such thing as a Muggleborn; all so-called "Muggleborns" are descendants from squibs. This is a proven fact that the Ministry hides in the Department of Mystery. They have known this for hundreds of years, but they deny even researching it, so that they can keep the vaults in their greedy hands.**

 **Speaking of which, the Gringotts Bank is more than just a bank, it is a storage area. If a line is thought to be dead the vault will close and the money will go to the Ministry. However, if there is an heir, even if that heir is a squib, then the vault will stay open and the Ministry cannot touch it, not for lack of trying though. If you look it up they have tried to pass laws so that any vault that doesn't get claimed in fifty years goes to them. However, Gringotts does not comply with Wizarding laws.**

 **I asked the bank and they informed me that there are hundreds of old untouched vaults. So go to Gringotts, and for five galleons, they'll test to see if you qualify for one of them. Remember, there may be books and valuables that have not seen the light of day for hundreds of years. If you take these the pure-bloods and Wizarding Britain, that only want your money, will lose and you will gain.**

 **This year, I won't be returning to Hogwarts. Why the hell would I want to after everything that has been said about me this summer? Not to mention the years at school where most of you turned on me, hell no. You can all go and defend yourself when Voldemort stops hiding.**

 **Anyway, I'll be going to night school and getting my Muggle studies up to date so I can support myself when I'm of age. I'll also be hiring tutors to keep up my magical education. To do this I'll have to go into hiding because I know that the Ministry will try to pass laws to prevent me from leaving so I suggest those of you that believe in me do the same.**

 **If you want to continue your magic studies, there is a law firm in the Muggle World that will get you tutors. They'll confirm that you are a so-called Muggleborn or raised first, so be warned. The only reason they will not help the pure-bloods is the laws passed by the Ministry that suppressed them from owning their own law firm when they graduated from Hogwarts.**

 **So sorry for those of you so called 'blood-traitors', hopefully you can fend for yourself. I know a good few of you and I hope you take this warning as a chance to get out of Britain or at least know that when the Muggleborn and -raised leave you will need to find someone to marry outside of the country, if you stay.**

 **This law firm also has a list of house-elves that require a good home to be hired in. These elves don't want to be bound, but hired, and you will have to sign a contract that states you won't bind with or abuse them. If you contact me, via Muggle way, then I'll give you their name.**

 **To the pure-bloods, barring the 'blood-traitors', of Wizarding Britain, I say piss off; clean up your own mess. I've sent a letter to the Prime Minister and let him know that there is a wizard terrorist that will try and kill the subjects of Great Britain. And, wonder of wonders, he believed me and has alerted the Army. They'll kill anyone they see terrorizing their people.**

 **Well, I've told you what I'm doing; I leave it up to you to do what you want because I wash my hands of the lot of you.**

 **Oh, and for all you people that listen to the Daily Prophet and Minister Fudge, well, you made your own bed, you can lie in it.**

There was an outcry of disbelief when this flier was read. Some demanded that Harry Potter be brought back, screaming and kicking if necessary. The Ministry ignored the paper and was happy that the boy finally knew his place. That would be their gravest mistake, though they wouldn't know it for years to come.

Every Muggleborn and -raised in Britain received one of these fliers, including Hermione Granger, and Gringotts was flooded with witches and wizards for the next week or so. Hundreds of Muggleborns were claiming vaults, and then saw those same vaults promptly transferred to the Muggle World, some outside of Britain. Did the bank suffer? No, they had ties with the Muggle banks and were in partnership with them.

Tons of gold left that backwards world, collapsing the economy. The public was in an uproar. They demanded something be done. The Wizengamot tried to stop them, but to no avail. They tried to get the Prime Minister to make those that left come back, but they were laughed out of the office.

A few weeks after Harry left he made his way to St. Mungo's Hospital because of the pain in his scar. His nightmares were getting out of control. He kept seeing Voldemort torturing his followers because they couldn't find him and he wanted it to stop. The hospital workers found the soul piece and called in curse breakers to remove it. They identified the horcrux, removed it, and placed it in another container to find out if there were more.

Harry was going to night school to bring him up to date on his Muggle studies. He had already purchased the books he needed to further his studies on magic. He knew he was going to have to hire a tutor, and he was in touch with the law firm and they were setting him up.

About a month later, the Dementors came, but Harry was inside his house, as were his relatives. They circled the house for hours, but then flew away. The next day, Sirius Black called him on the telephone, after Hermione showed him how, and asked to meet. They met in a café in downtown London.

"Hey, pup, how have you been? You had quite a scare with the Dementors yesterday. Remus told me how they affect you," Sirius asked, giving Harry a hug. Sirius looked much better than the last time Harry had seen him, his face was filled out and he didn't look nearly a pasty.

"I'm good, Sirius. They didn't get close to me. However, is it safe for you to be here?" a concerned Harry asked. He might have left the Wizarding World, but he still cared about his friends and a few others, hence his warning in the flier.

"I am a free man," the godfather beamed. "They found Peter and I was cleared. Stupid rat got caught trying to spy on the Order. The trial was held a few days ago. Now the real question is—do you want to go back?" Sirius asked with a serious look. He had already made up his mind to stand by Harry, no matter what the boy decided. He had seen the flier and knew the boy had spoken the truth. He was ashamed that he had not been there for Harry when he had needed him the most. But he vowed to himself he would be there from now on.

Harry thought about it. He knew he was safe at the Dursleys, which is where he was hiding, right under their noses. The blood wards kept wizards away and his aunt was happy he gave up Hogwarts. He knew that he wanted to get his Muggle schooling done. But he also knew that if he went back, they would treat him the same way as before, and he felt that he had a better chance at getting a career in the Muggle World.

"I've already hired some tutors, they'll be starting soon. I mean you have to realize I have been through hell in the Wizarding World—almost worse than my childhood—and I just know that if I go back, it will be the same. Love me, and then hate me. I shouldn't have to put up with that, no matter how famous I'm supposed to be," the teen stated, taking a bite of his vanilla biscuit.

Sirius gave him a deep look. "You're right, Harry, you shouldn't have to put up with that. Now, Dumbledore sent me here to drag you back. But…" he paused, holding up his hands to stop the protest, "if your relatives will put up with me, I want to see if I can stay with you for a little while."

"Why?" the green-eyed boy asked, wary that Sirius had mentioned the Headmaster. He wouldn't put it past the man to have him kidnapped. Thank Merlin, he had the law firm add intent wards to the house.

"I want to make sure that you are being treated right and whether or not I can help you in any way," the older man stated. Then his grey eyes got soft and he said, "I want to be there for you. If I go back to Grimmauld Place, Albus will try and find a way to keep me there even though I'm a free man now. He still feels that he has to be in control of everyone and will not listen to opinions that aren't the same as his, though he does seem to be paying more attention to the school since the Board of Governors put him on probation."

"What did they put him on probation for?" Harry asked, leaning forward a bit.

"With all the Muggleborn leaving they're looking for a scapegoat," Sirius said with a shrug. "Anyway, if your relatives don't want me around, how about you, me, Remus, and any of your friends that want to join us leave this country and let them fend for themselves? They haven't done you or me any favors, so I don't see why we should have to stay and fight for them. I have only been waiting until I'm free, then I wanted to see what you were going to do. I was very surprised at your response. I'll stand by your side no matter what you want. If you want to stay, we will stay. If you want to leave, we will leave. It's all up to you, pup."

"Well, I kinda want to stay here. Not that I like my relatives or anything, but I have an agreement with them and pay them enough to leave me alone. You know how much they hate magic, though Aunt Petunia is glad I'm not going back, so if you tell them that you'll only use it in self-defense and pay them enough money, there is a guest room you can rent," Harry said, rubbing his head.

"I can do that, I have plenty of gold," the dark-haired man stated taking a sip of his tea.

"Oh, and I've hired Dobby and Winky to bring me meals and do my laundry and stuff, and I'm sure they will serve you too. You might want to ask them though, because they are free elves and they'll want to be paid. Since you know very little about Muggle living, you'll need their help. Just remember—don't do anything to hurt or destroy anyone or anything, and you should be okay." Harry said firmly, making sure the man understood.

He was thankful that he had someone on his side. He had been rather lonely with only Hermione to talk with on the phone. He did tell her that she could give his number to anyone that asked that; he knew she wouldn't try to make him go back, not after she did the research and found that the flier was the truth. If it was an adult, they had to give a vow stating that they only wanted to talk. Sirius had to make such a vow, even though he was Harry's godfather.

"Okay, Harry. Let's go ask them. We can get Remus to rent something nearby, and the two of us can share. I don't really know how to work the Muggle real estate, but he does. We will find something close so you don't have to travel far to see us," Sirius said as he stood and guided Harry away from the table.

They paid the bill and went to talk to Harry's aunt and uncle. Needless to say, they weren't happy with a wizard wanting to stay in their house, especially one that could legally do freaky things. However, they were greedy people, so they did let Sirius rent the guest bedroom until Remus had a place for them. They did say that they weren't putting up with him and his 'unnaturalness' past that.

Sirius threatened Vernon, informing him that he had better behave or Sirius would make him disappear to a place where no one could ever find him. He proceeded to show him by turning Dudley into a tea cup, then back again. The threat worked well, and for the time he was there, they all avoided each other. Sirius and Remus rented a house a few blocks away and stayed there until Harry graduated from his Muggle schooling.

Harry's lessons progressed well; he was now caught up with his Muggle peers and was being tutored in magic. Because they were masters of their craft, the tutors didn't need to wait to teach any of their students. They prepared them very well.

After Harry's little flier, most of the Muggleborns that immigrated to the Muggle World prospered. They held jobs, practiced magic in the privacy of their own homes and never looked back. Many opened shops that had two sides. So, if one side held a nursery, the other side held potion ingredients. It worked out well. Now no one had to go to the Alleys for anything.

One of the first things they were taught was how to shield their homes and businesses from wizards and witches that held ill intent. This meant that anyone wanting for them to return to the Wizarding Britain so they could get a hold of their money couldn't find them. And those who wanted to hurt them or their family would be drained of their magic and left a squib. No one felt sorry for them.

Dumbledore carried out his plans without Harry, and when he fell to his own plots, many mourned him. He was still seen as the Greatest Wizard of the times. He fell when he was cursed by the ring, though he never told anyone what the ring was. It was buried with him along with the Elder Wand.

Voldemort was eventually killed by a Muggle bullet. The Prime Minister hired the goblins to find and destroy all the horcruxes. It was after Harry went to St. Mungo's that they learned what they were and how they were made. It was easy to take this to the Prime Minister and work out a plan. The goblins were told of the one in Bellatrix's vault. Harry had learned about it from Voldemort's mind, and they dealt with it and charged her vault the removal fee.

Looking back, Harry easily remembered how excited he'd been when he first heard that he was a wizard and how disappointed he had been after his first week at Hogwarts. If he had known he could hire tutors then, he would have left years ago. He learned more from his tutors than he ever had at Hogwarts. And since the Muggleborns were staying in the Muggle Britain, there were more than enough tutors to keep the Statute of Secrecy. It helped that every Muggleborn family that had hired a tutor had a spell put on them that wouldn't allow them to talk about magic outside of their family or house. They were, of course, asked first, and, if they did not agree, they had the option to go to Hogwarts or have the child's magic bound and their memories erased. They would never be bothered again. Most chose the tutors.

Harry kept in touch with many of his classmates, mostly through Muggle mail and phone calls. He was delighted to have friends. They made sure to tell each other what they were doing and speculated often about how Wizarding Britain was handling their departure.

Harry moved to his own flat after graduating and he was loving the freedom. Sirius was doing well now, and Remus made sure to keep his friend grounded. He opened a bookstore that sold both books and was quite content with his easy life.

When computers became a household item, the Muggleborn started a web-page for wizards and witches, shielded so only they could find and use it. There were chat rooms, lessons and games to improve their logic and create a firm grasp on how to use magic wisely. There were pages for the new Muggleborn and -raised that had tales of what the elder ones had put up with. The most popular, of course, were Harry's stories, much to his displeasure, but after a while he shrugged it off. If it helped others, he would bear it. More of those pages popped up after the success of the first one.

Hedwig remained a good friend and pet, but she never carried another letter again.

The free elves flourished under the magic of the Muggleborn households and bred often. Their children were free, trained, and hired out. Dobby and Winky stayed with Harry at his flat and were proud parents of two elves that stayed with the Potter family for many years.

Because Harry didn't return to Hogwarts, he never dated Ginny and instead married a Muggleborn from France, with whom he had three children that never entered Hogwarts. They actually were homeschooled and learned to be better magicals that those taught in a wizard's school.

Remus soon went back to the werewolves to see if they could prosper from the fall of the wizarding government. After many years, they learned that they too would be better off governing themselves and created small communities for all half-breeds through buying the lands that wizards had had to sell off due to the declining economy. The goblins even set up a bank for them so that they never had to venture into the world that had persecuted them.

Ron and his parents never left Wizarding Britain. They had listened to Dumbledore and felt Harry was a coward to leave them to Voldemort.

The twins, Ginny, and two older boys pooled their money together and escaped to the Muggle World. They went to night school, got a Muggle education, made their own living, and never looked back. Charlie became a gamekeeper on safari tours. Bill worked for the werewolf bank. Ginny worked in one of the many shops open to wizards. The twins had to change their jokes so they could open two-sided store, but it worked out better than it would if they had stayed.

Hermione also thrived in the Muggle World. She had always been the smartest of Harry's friends and had no problem keeping up with both types of studies. She opened a bookstore with two sides, like so many wizarding stores in Muggle Britain, catering to everyone. She eventually married Victor Krum, who retired from the fast paced life of Quidditch and settled, happily married, in the quiet refuge of the Muggle World. With his wife at his side, he learned to adapt quickly.

Neville took his parents and ran. They relocated in America, and the ill Longbottoms were cured. They lived a good life in the States.

Luna took her father to France and they opened The Quibbler there.

Many of the 'blood-traitors' followed the Muggleborn out of the Wizarding World and the economy dropped more. Soon there was no one left for the pure-blood to marry and they had to try and find spouses from other countries. They were not well received.

The years marched on and every time a Muggleborn showed signs of accidental magic, they got a pamphlet letting them know what they could expect if they accepted the propaganda from the Ministry of Magic. Parents were told about the laws and left a list of tutors that they could hire for their children. They were then shown how to get to Gringotts and how to ask for a heritage test. More money left Wizarding Britain.

Twenty years later, Harry Potter visited Diagon Alley to see what had happened to the Wizarding Britain after he had left. He was shocked to see there were fewer than fifty wizards and witches in the Alley, and most of the stores were closed due to lack of business. He knew they couldn't have bred themselves out in such a short period of time. So they must have run away to another country. Only the die-hard pure-bloods would have stayed. He wondered if he should feel bad about this. But, really, they had asked for it themselves. If they had changed their ways and allowed the Muggle-born and raised to hold positions in the Ministry, they wouldn't have fallen to this.

Harry shook his head and left Diagon Alley for the last time.

 **Hphphp**

 _This had the potential to be so much more, however I don't find myself with the drive to write it, maybe one day. I would love to see someone pick it up and run with it. If you do, drop me a link._

 _Check out my profile page, I almost always have a poll going, which usually has nothing to do with my stories, just curiosity. I know there is one at the time of this posting._


End file.
